Tea and coffee will be from 9.30 am with a start time of 10am. Researchers are Dr. Sam Johnson (learning difficulties) and Dr Robert Hirst (PCD).

For over 60 years Action Medical Research has funded some of the most significant medical breakthroughs including the ultrasound in pregnancy, fetal MRI’s, Meningitis HiB, Rubella and Polio vaccinations, artificial bone growth in children to name but a few.

Come for a free coffee and biscuits and find out about some of the latest research we are funding. Research by:

Dr Samantha Johnson

Samantha Johnson is a Developmental Psychologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester. For over 10 years she has been involved in studies of the outcomes of children who were born preterm, including the internationally renowned EPICure Studies of outcome following extremely preterm birth in the UK and the Premature Infants’ Skills in Mathematics (PRISM) Studies funded by Action Medical Research. Samantha specialises in research that tracks the development of premature babies from birth to determine the effects this has on their health and development in the long term. Most recently, her research has focused on understanding educational outcomes in preterm children and she currently leads the PRISM study team investigating mathematics skills in very preterm children. Samantha is a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Dr Robert Hirst

Is the Principal Scientist at the Centre for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) diagnosis and research, in the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Leicester. He has a degree in Biochemistry (Liverpool) and a PhD in Pharmacology (Leicester).

PCD is a rare genetic disease that causes the cilia in the body to malfunction and this leads to recurrent chest infection and lung damage in children. Dr Hirst has been diagnosing PCD for the NHS in the midlands and north of England since 2006 and, in that time, the diagnostic team have identified over 300 new cases. His research interests focus on understanding the role of motile cilia in health and disease and his work has been published in over 50 scientific articles. His research on read through therapy for PCD patients aims to correct ciliary malfunction in the lungs and thus alleviate their severe respiratory problems.